Faking it
by pandoramia
Summary: In a supernatural universe, princess Anastasia faces a challenge that involves one damaged human being, Christian Grey. Soon she realizes her future depends on it, in more ways than one since this sexy mortal is not what she thought he was in the beginning. Neither was she, though. English is not my mother language, so I can just promise to do my best and hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS, I DON'T OWN THE UNDERLYING STORY. IT BELONG TO E.L. JAMES!

...

Chapter 1.

"I don't understand?" Said a very confused Anastasia.

Rolling his eyes in a very unroyally way, the King of the Netherworld (a realm for the Lost Souls, a realm between Hellfire and Redemption), repeated the crazy statement.

"I want you to seduce him."

Anastasia sat as elegantly as she could, she was a princess after all… after all the plebeian activities she pursued. Fortunately, her uncle didn't know that, so she could pretend to be one hundred percent Royal this afternoon.

"And if I refuse?" Her hands resting on her dress faking calmness, her voice leveled faking control. "I want to have choices, it's my right."

Ray the Third raised a brow, this he knew about her, she was good at faking and that was the main reason she was chosen for the task.

 _Damned skill!_

Her cousins were a mess, too sincere to be here in this Realm of Falsehood, as she liked to call it. Neither Angels nor Demons they were something in between, good but not too good, bad but not too bad. That's why they could judge humans. The members of the other two Divine Realms were too "black and white" to be fair when making decisions. _Never heard about gray?_

The heir-princesses were so sweet and kind that she wanted to throw up anytime she was around them. She constantly wondered if her cousins were really the daughters of this unsparing King, maybe the Queen cheated with the "Good Guy" that lived upstairs, in the pent-house. The gossips said he was celibate but he had a boy once, right? Anastasia thought it's suspicious that he had never gotten a Queen in so many millenniums.

Her mind came back to the present, her first assignment on Earth was odd, to seduce a human and make him fill his soul with as much light as darkness. "Make him achieve balance. You can use your sex appeal, that's a sure way through a man's soul", were the King words. _More like whore yourself through the assignment_.

Holding his goblet and analyzing its liquid content, Ray the Third decreed her fate.

"You either go down on him, or go down to Hell."

Anastasia tried to keep some composure. In her mind, she numbered her options. Only one since she wouldn't share more than a few occasional fucks with those corrupt and disrespectful demons that lived two floors below. To work and live with them was inconceivable.

 _I guess my dignity did have a prize and my honor just faced its limit._

Someone snickered and Anastasia knew they weren't alone, that annoying ghost that usually spied for her uncle was here, enjoying her discomfort.

 _Let's see who laughs last_.

She sent a disdainful look to the corner where José was invisibly floating, watching the show. She could feel his satisfaction.

"I have one condition, dearest uncle."

The King raised his left brow again, sending a boring look and a warning. "Which is?"

She lifted her shields to protect her skin from what was about to happen. "José is coming with me."

"THE FUCK?"

The lights turned on and off frantically, and not just inside the room. _There goes the Realm's electricity_.

"Calm down, José." The King sipped from his goblet and sat next to his niece. "Explain."

"I need a partner, someone I can rely on. Humans are… complicated and I have zero experience on that plane."

The ghost materialized in front of them, well, barely since he was as solid as a cloud.

"I don't want to go, Ray, they are ignorant, crazy beings."

"Mmm."

 _Mmm_ meant bad news for the ghost. Anastasia hid the triumph smile that wanted to spread across her lips. Misery is less when shared, or at least that's what is said and she already felt the truth in it. To torture the ghost was a nice consolation prize.

"She is right, you are going."

A cold and dangerous calm surrounded them, the temperature dropped dramatically threatening to freeze everything inside the room but the King stopped it with a movement of his fingers, reminding them why he was the Sovereign. The cloud turned blue and started shrinking one inch per second.

 _Uh uh, someone is royally pissed._

"Do you dare to question me, specter?"

Poor thing couldn't even answer, time to intervene. She wanted the ghost to suffer on the Earth plane with her; if he was exiled, there wouldn't be any joy in this shameful task. Not that she was a prude but she liked to be the one choosing her partner… or partners. She didn't like the fact that her uncle commanded her to fuck a mortal into harmony.

"Mercy, my King. I need him."

Another movement of his fingers and the ghost was free to hide in the corner again. Now that her shields were down she could feel his hate, it kind of hurt since she was an Empath. José was sending the feeling in strong waves knowing what they did to her and she allowed the fault because it was bearable, her uncle punishment left him weak.

She could understand him, José almost went to Hell, literally, and he dreaded what awaited him there since unearthly creatures were conscious while their souls burned. Lucifer himself was in charge of the task and his orange flame was the strongest one in Hell. He was the hottest, literally, figuratively, whateverely.

Anastasia mentally drooled remembering Lucifer, what a gorgeous Fallen Angel was the King of Hell, he changed his wings and transgressions for two horns, one long sexy tail, and a merciless badass 24/7 job. To burn the evilness in the sinners' soul so they could get a clean start. She liked to call it _The crematory of wickedness_.

Another wave of hate hit her skin. _Ungrateful creature_. She sighed resigned remembering the wise words of her beloved Nana: "s _ome people will never like you and you must never give a fuck"._

The only ones able to hide their emotions in front of her were the elders, her uncle was one of them which was why she didn't know how he felt about this assignment.

"I'd like to know the reasons behind this, my King. What is so important that you are sending your favorite niece to suck a human's dick? You know I'm overqualified for that."

Another eyebrow that almost meets the ceiling was his answer. _Well, maybe I'm not his favorite niece but fake it 'til you make it, right?_

"There is a bet between Heaven and Hell, both want the boy's soul."

She grabbed her horns alarmed. "A boy?"

"This is his third reincarnation, he is one hundred fifty-seven, almost your age. I consider him a lost one, that makes him our problem, not them." He raised his voice angrily. "We haven't been unfair to one single soul so far and we are not starting now, damn it!"

 _You are being unfair to me, it should count_.

Of course, she didn't say that out loud, Ray the Third was frightening when irate. The truth was the King looked tired, a millennium ruling this kingdom must be exhausting, even though it has its perks. Sadly, the Queen was sick and unable to help at the moment.

"It's time for you to get bigger responsibilities. I know how you use your free time and I'm not happy Anastasia."

Her skin was red but the King smiled when saw the shameful flush that stung her neck and face. His smiles could mean anything, so she braced herself for the worst.

"The result will define your future."

 _Ah, no pressure then. There goes my peace of mind_.

…..

"WHAT THE HELL? I'M A FUCKING VIRGIN?"

José couldn't stop laughing and she wanted to break his neck. It was a good thing he didn't have one.

"I guess the human will pop your cherry, that could give you an advantage in this mission, you should be grateful."

"It fucking hurts, José."

She knew when he rolled his invisible eyes. "It's not your first time, you know it's not that bad. None of my virginal lovers ever complained."

"He could be a bad lay."

He resumed the laughing, obviously enjoying her despair. "Train the human and stop whining. It doesn't suit you."

Anastasia straightened the awful clothes she was supposed to wear in this plane, and went inside the building where her target was: 'Grey House'. She decided success would be the only aftermath of this assignment and crossed her fingers feeling confident... or at least faking it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Anastasia studied her surroundings trying to grasp the man she was about to meet. She didn't have an appointment but her uncle didn't choose this unsuitable time and awful outfit for nothing, he had a plan for her and she needed to pay attention to every single detail.

So far, she didn't like what was there to be seen. The walls of the lobby were plain, painted white and gray, adorned with the same lame words that could be read outside: "Grey house". The guy obviously had a lot of money and little imagination.

 _I guess I'll lose it missionary style. The irony!_

Her mind went to her first first-time, to how deliciously had that Sentinel banged her against the door of her bedroom. After her first orgasm, she had ridden him wildly for her own pleasure on the floor. It was short and rough and hot and unforgettable. She couldn't be more grateful for such an introduction to the wonders of sex.

That night, Nana had given her a special present, her first fuck-me dress with a brand new infra-sutra, a revised Hell's edition. Anastasia would never forget her words: " _remember, it's not what you do but how you do it, every position counts_ ". She knew Anastasia would become a Sentinel specialized in sexual transgressions, in need of as much experience as possible before getting assignments.

So far, she had gotten quite a few, but this was the first one on the terrene plane and she missed Nana's wise advices. Anastasia blinked some tears away, blinking also some fond memories away, and then took a deep breath focusing on the task at hand: Christian Grey. If he turned out to be a bad lay, she could always ride him into a coma. _There, problem solved_.

An oxygenated blond was looking at her through fake eyelashes with pity, wondering what this poor underdressed girl wanted so near her lunch time. A soft wind murmured in her ear, "her lips are fake too, I think you just lose the crown".

But Anastasia knew better, she was able to understand the difference between using a costume and disguising the truth. The woman in front of her was actually being honest, looking how she liked to look and not giving a fuck about others' opinion. She could feel the waves of confidence coming from behind the solid sandstone desk, it wasn't insecurity what inspired _Blondie_ early in the morning.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to see Mr. Grey."

"Aren't we all?" _Blondie_ sighed quietly to some mental image, she obviously had a crush on The boss, meaning he was good looking. The King gave Anastasia some basic information about the human but not even one picture of him, which had worried her.

"You must be here for the interview, right? The student newspaper?"

"Right."

Now she understood her outfit, she was supposed to be some College nerd. Maybe that was Mr. Grey weakness, nerdy virgins. The assignment was getting interesting.

 _Blondie_ was distracted using the phone so she took advantage to send José on a mission.

"Go and take care of the girl I'm supplanting."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You are a ghost. Spook her away, for good."

He liked the idea, poor girl wouldn't see it coming until it was too late.

Inside the elevator, Anastasia used the mirror to examine the body and appearance her uncle had chosen for her: a very young brunette with a bad taste in clothing and zero youthful narcissism, that hairstyle and fingernails were proof enough. She wasn't exuberant but had long legs and nice tits that could be useful if she played her cards right. Pale creamy skin, delicate cheekbones, and large eyes the color of the sky adorned her face, along with sensual lips and slightly separated, straight, even teeth.

 _Nice!_

She discovered then the bag a little too big that was hanging on her left shoulder and looked inside of it hoping to find a decent lipstick. Nothing.

 _Really, uncle? You want me to go down on the guy fresh-faced and lipstick-less? How unsexy!_

In serious need of adjustment, Anastasia bit her bottom lip sensually rehearsing a few naughty lines.

"What are you doing to me, Mr. Grey? Please, no, I'm a decent girl. Oh, what is this heat between my legs?"

Some innocent blinks, a naïve fidgeting, and voilà, Mr. Grey's wet dream coming true and coming hard. _You're welcome, human, and you better make it good for me too_. Anastasia had never faked an orgasm before and she didn't want to start now.

Another blond received her on the twenty floor, a natural one this time, elegant and flawlessly dressed in pastel colors. She felt bad for the girl when took notice of the clinical glass, gray steel, and white sandstone that surrounded them, much like in the lobby. Obviously, this man didn't know how unhealthy it was for humans to work in such boring colorless boxes.

"Mr. Grey will see you now. You don't need to knock, just go in." Smiling and emitting good vibes, the girl pointed to a partially open door. Anastasia thanked her sincerely, thinking of the best way to start the encounter. Maybe introducing herself.

 _Do I have a different name here?_

A sense of insecurity stopped her right there. No, she wouldn't allow vacillation, not when she was so close to her target. _Steel yourself, gurl_ , y _ou can do this, you have spent years studying humans' sexual behavior_. That instant, the name she should use came to her as a revelation. It was strong and appropriated, also a good reminder of this awful place.

Like _Blondie 2_ had indicated, she stepped into his office without knocking, carefully closing the door behind her. She immediately felt his eyes all over her body, studying it with curiosity and something else she couldn't define, something definitively dark. _Is he a perv?_

Turning around with an expression that simulated shyness she met his stare and stiffened, her mouth parting in an unbelievable _o_.

"Lucifer!"

"Excuse me?" She had shocked him with her own shock.

 _Shit, there goes my first impression!_

She wondered what in the Hell was wrong with her, Lucifer was eight feet tall, had orange skin, and a set of horns so sexy she could come just by watching them ripping her underwear off. Nevertheless, it was undeniable, this man's facial features and Lucifer's were almost identical. Ancient instincts told her it wasn't a coincidence.

"My apologies, sir. I confused you with someone else."

He cocked his head to one side, intrigued, a hint of a smile playing on his lush lips. "The King of the Infernal Empire?"

"No." _Yes._ "My downstairs neighbor."

"I see." He was now standing, moving close to her, staring at her breasts shamelessly. How was he able to do that when she was wearing such an ugly oversized shirt was beyond her comprehension, but that was exactly what he was doing and she liked it… a lot.

 _Mhm, this man is dangerous to my feminist side_.

Anastasia straightened her back so he could have a better view of her new perky tits. He noticed he had been caught ogling and struggled to stop doing it. It was actually funny to see the struggle so clearly reflected on his face. A little demon was fighting against a little angel inside his head right now.

 _You nailed it, uncle._

Mr. Grey was young and attractive, very, very attractive, like fuck-me-now attractive, with unruly dark copper colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes. He was dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie that matched his lobby downstairs.

"Christian Grey."

A strong, long fingered hand -long from her new, human perspective- was extended in front of her, waiting for her manners to show up.

"Anastasia Steele."

She placed her hand in his and they shake, triggering the weirdest reaction she had had in… well, never. Her legs were giving up, or maybe her whole central nervous system was, and she dropped to her knees while waves and waves of sexual need and arousal washed over her body. Her face was now mere inches from his crotch, witnessing the birth of the most beautiful earthly hard-on.

Realization hit her then, sudden and crutching. She wasn't there to seduce him into dirty rough sex but out of it. How the Heaven was she going to do that when that was exactly her preference and, from the vibes she was absorbing now, his too? She was a lot of things, never a hypocrite.

"Little… dirty… girl."

 _Well, shit!_

A husky, sensual voice was suddenly commanding her attention up. She was so fucked, literally, figuratively, whateverely. Temptation was standing in front of her wearing an expensive suit.

 _Wait a minute, who is supposed to be temptation here?_

And she wondered, temptation to do what? Blowjobs were already in her job description. Realization came again, hitting her as hard as the hard-on that was still growing in front of her new sky-blue eyes. She understood what this was, what he was. It wasn't just the promise of delicious rough sex what was dripping through his voice but domination and control, the type of domination and control that needed a special sexual partner. She wasn't here to perform the horny virginal nerd, no, she was here to perform the willing, obedient submissive.

Again, she was sooo fucked, because that was exactly what she was and, apparently, her uncle really knew what she was doing lately in her free time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Anastasia resisted the urge to look up even though that was what she wanted to do, craving to see the expression that accompanied such a commanding voice. But she was in sub-mode even though this man was not her partner. Inside her mind, there was just one word: _wrong, WRONG!_

He wasn't her partner and yet, she'd never felt anything like this connection. As an Empath, she could attest Christian Grey was the strongest Dominant she had ever met, hands down. Taking into account she had submitted to quite a few throughout the three divine realms, this was relevant information. And he was a human. The other Doms she knew would be so pissed about this… she couldn't wait to tell them and watch while they lose their shit.

"Are you really here for the interview?"

 _Damn!_ She couldn't lie, couldn't betray what she felt. A Dom-Sub connection was based on power and trust, especially trust. Although this moment was more about power. Where the Heaven was her will?

 _So fucked._

"No, sir."

"It was bold of her to send you here."

 _What?_

He had obviously mistaken her for some girl that shouldn't be sent to his office, and he had a provider. Note to self: look into that, maybe bringing José was the best idea she had had lately. And her luck was back, just when she thought this mortal would kick her ass out on the street.

Remaining in silence, like the good _'little dirty girl'_ he thought she was, Anastasia dissected the vibes he was emitting. The darkness she felt when closing the door was still there, threatening to corrupt everything else, but it was difficult to identify its nature. It felt like cancer, gnawing at all of his emotions, eating his soul.

 _Interesting._ She was sure this was related to the assignment.

Suddenly, with one knee on the floor, he took a handful of hair and pulled her head back hard enough to make a statement but without hurting her… actually, it hurt a little. She closed her eyes on time, avoiding his stare and enjoying the mix of pain and pleasure.

 _Fucking wrong_.

"Why are you kneeling, little girl? We don't have an agreement."

"I couldn't help it, sir. It was too strong to ignore."

The silent pause that followed made her nervous, along with arousal she could feel his mistrust. She still expected some guard to drag her out of the building.

"What was?"

Ah, this man wanted her to stroke his ego as much as she wanted to stroke his hard-on.

"Your dominant personality, sir. The authority you ooze is overwhelming, my body just reacted. Please, forgive me."

The answer pushed all the right buttons because the wave of sexual desire that hit her was so intense, she couldn't stop the moan escaping her lips. He yanked her hair backward eliciting another moan out of her, which forced a groan out of him.

"You are tempting me, you are tempting me and I didn't give you permission for that."

She knew, none of them did. And she was so turned on... five more minutes of this and the begging slut in her would be in charge, assignment be damned.

"Open your eyes and look at me."

Her eyes obeyed that instant, their gazes met. His were silver flames that burned her soul with its brilliance, capturing her awareness to the exclusion of everything else, robbing her of something precious. His masculine smell mixed with testosterone enveloped her body, more like imprisoned it. She got lost in sensation, it was amazing and it had to stop.

 _Dear Lords, help!_

She was now asking for divine intervention. Something, anything.

Fortunately he was in control, he had obviously trained his self-restrain enough to resist whatever it was they were feeling. Freeing her head he stood up, then walked back to his huge modern dark-wood desk, his fists clenched so tightly that if there had been anything inside them it would have been crushed to pieces.

While admiring the 'I-want-to-have-your babies' back view of him, she wondered about the reaction a human had just triggered from her and panicked. Was it the new body? Probably the horny virginal hormones wanting more than this teasing shit.

Or maybe he wasn't entirely human, an alien with some weird superpower. No, that was nonsense, she could smell his humanity as clearly as her own arousal. By the way, she must be wearing adult diapers because it was taking her wetness like a champion.

 _Let's hope no strip-tease is required_. If the fingernails were indication enough, there could be a freaking forest between her legs.

With great effort, Anastasia stood up. She could move now, the connection had disappeared for some reason, probably because he was fighting it. Probably because it was too strong to be good.

She needed out, a human able to take her will from her body justified an emergency call.

"I apologize again, sir, and for taking so much of your time. Thank you for the… er… interview."

She turned around to get out of there as quickly as possible and discuss this with the King. It was wrong to get her trapped in some bullshit between the realms without enough information. The boy's soul - _boy her ass_ \- could burn in Hell for all she cared. Maybe it was the best cure against those shadows she detected inside him.

"Not so fast, Anastasia."

 _Damn, fuck, shit!_

Her apprehensive nature, the one that taught her to lie, was screaming _'run, bitch, run'_ but she forced her feet to stop. She wasn't a running coward and this human did need help, tons of help. Besides, he was giving her an opening and she was wasting it. With a deep sigh, she turned around.

"What do you want, Christian?"

The change in her demeanor surprised him but not enough to make him lose his authoritative stance. Understandable, this was his office, his clinical gray and white kingdom.

"Sit."

Accepting her fate she sunk into one of the white leather chairs, meeting his stare with a defiant one of her own. That little display of weakness might have given him the wrong idea. She was anything but weak, that wasn't the reason she enjoyed submitting in the bedroom.

"You seem well trained and I'm looking for a partner."

Straight to the point, she liked it.

"I'm not sure, you saw what happened."

"What happened?"

For some reason, she wanted to see his reaction to the truth.

"Your Alpha and my Beta decided to get out and play without our consent, it could be dangerous." She knew her Beta was a needy slut, but come on, that was just too much.

"I felt it, at the end we were in control."

"I guess I could have safe-worded to stop it but I didn't want to. Definitively dangerous, who knows what kind of darkness can my Beta summon from your heart."

A flicker of undefinable expression crossed his face, she would've missed it if she weren't paying attention.

 _What was that?_

Her shields were down and yet she couldn't feel anything except curiosity and distrust in his aura. That was not what just altered his sexy-as-heaven features. Anastasia cursed inwardly, he was able to bend her soul, to block her radar. What else?

She knew a worthy challenge when she saw it and she wasn't a sentinel to turn her back on one. Well, maybe five minutes ago she was, not now. What's the worst that could happen? Go to Hell? She knew the boss there and that was exactly what was waiting for her at home.

They stared at each other for a while, not weighing the pros and cons but deciding if being reckless was something they dared to be.

"I still think we were in control."

He wanted this to happen. She wanted this to happen. Were both of them that fucked up?

 _Don't come off as desperate. Whatever you do, don't come off as desperate._

She shrugged. "Okay. I don't do long terms, though."

He raised his eyebrows at that.

"That's not safe."

"Not in my case. I know how to take care of myself."

His irritation gave her satisfaction. And she could see the wheels turning in his head, wondering, wondering... but what?

"How many?"

"How many what?"

"Doms."

Anastasia straightened the ugly brown skirt.

"Five." _Hundred_. Half-truth, half-lie, the best foundation for any relationship. "What about you? How many?"

"That's a personal question I won't answer."

"Why not? I just did."

"Because you don't need to know."

 _Asshole_. He was making clear who had the big hand there. She wouldn't take that shit, a submissive was an equal partner even though gave up her or his will. Note to self: Important thing to fix soon... more like right now.

"I'm still a virgin."

Stunned with surprise, his jaw fell open.

"I don't tolerate lies."

His tone was menacing but she didn't feel threatened. Shaking her head she let the news sink in. "I'm not lying. That's why I might have to visit a friend first… you know… to rectify the situation."

"NO!"

Clearly affected, he stood up abruptly, his eyes closed, looking to be counting to ten. What a sight, she couldn't avoid a small smile. Protectiveness, possessiveness, and sexual need; all wrapped in one mouth-watering creature, offered to her in this clinical altar in exchange for her virginal blood.

 _Yes!_ _Just ask for it, dummy, it's a gift sent from a God above to you_.

"I mean… no need. I can take care of it."

Shaking her head again, she too got up.

"Sorry... no."

"Why?" There was some desperation.

"I want my first time with someone that treats me like a real partner, you know… equally. Not like a pet or a toy."

His gray eyes were bleak as he ran his hand through his hair. He looked torn, frustrated. Then, realization hit him, he gasped and threw himself back in his chair with a grin. It didn't last much but was enough to lighten her spirit and make her feel oddly happy.

"Fifteen."

Anastasia sat crossing her legs, businesslike. His stare was now on her knees, his gray eyes cool but amused by the symbolism of her gesture.

"I guess you are experienced enough. You will do."

He frowned, then gave her another grin, then frowned again because he wanted her right there and right now and he didn't like it. She could relate.

"No complains so far."

 _Conceited man!_ She liked it, too.

"Okay, then your domineering Alpha can play with my virginal Beta. We can talk about the details later, maybe over a drink?"

 _Or two. What about the whole bottle?_

Straightening his back he deepened his frown. "How have you managed to stay a virgin submitting to five men?"

She smiled, sweetly, aspiring to give him a diabetic coma.

"Ah, well, there are always so many possibilities and… who said they were all men?"

Anastasia walked slowly and stood in front of him, offering her hand to his shocked face.

"We have a deal, Mr. Grey."

Cat-like, he raised from his chair taking her hand and pressing his lips to it. She shuddered. The kiss felt like an old promise, one that was already made but never fulfilled. It was unnerving, the whole meeting had been.

"More like a date… Anastasia."

 _Holy shit!_ The way he had said her name sent tremors of awareness rippling through her body. She lifted her shields just in case, this man was super-sex on long legs. It was doubtful her diaper-like panties were still dry.

 _My bittersweet Lords! Why are you making me this?_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

On her way down, Anastasia pressed the stop button. The elevator coasted smoothly to a halt between the eighth and ninth floors while she summoned her uncle on the mirror. She wasn't worried about the cameras, all they would record was a crazy young girl talking to her reflection and she already did that on her way up with no consequences.

What did worry her were the faces on the other side of the glass. Instead of the King, there were her smiling cousins.

"Ani, hi, how are you?"

"Where are you? It looks small."

 _Oh no, cream and sugar ruining my coffee_.

"Yeah, hi, I'm fine. Where is Ray?"

"The King, Ani, the King. We must be respectful."

"Isn't he your father, Elizabeth?" That girl was throwing away a unique opportunity to practice nepotism. _What a waste_. "Whatever. I have an important issue to discuss with… er… the King."

The sisters exchanged a knowing look, then glanced nervously at something out of Anastasia's sight. "He says he is busy."

Fortunately, they couldn't even handle a small lie, which infuriated the King.

"Oh, for fuck's sake… get out of here."

The fact that Ray had tried to avoid the call, made her anxious. Wasn't he King in a divine realm? Wasn't this just an assignment?

Anastasia wanted to bang her head against the mirror until she lost consciousness. Of course, she thought, to assign tasks wasn't the King's job but his counselor's. This was personal, and personal was never good if involving one unsparing Sovereign.

 _If this's so important, why did he send me?_

Ray went to sit on his fancy sofa, opposite her, while the girls reached him to sweetly kiss his forehead before leaving. She enjoyed watching the King melting helplessly, he loved his annoying daughters.

"What do you want, Anastasia?"

"Something tells me you already know."

A sigh followed by a frowning was all she got, her need for info wasn't welcomed. She waited until her cousins closed the door and decided to play the niece's card, it was vital to remind him she was family.

"Uncle, I could barely think when he touched me. I mean… that was an incredible case of hots for a man I didn't know existed until today."

Dammit, she was still shaky.

"It's simple. You're soul mates."

"What?" Anastasia grabbed the rail of the elevator feeling dizzy all of a sudden. "That's a myth, Ray, there isn't such a thing as soul mates."

"Rare but real. All you've heard regarding this is, mostly, true."

"No!"

"Yes."

He was now paying attention to her reaction, it was too sincere to not do it, a novelty. She was always so calmed and collected making people believe she didn't care.

"What did I do? Why am I being punished?"

The King shot to his feet visibly horrified at her words. "It's a blessing, don't you dare to look at it as punishment!" Then he sat again, looking down at the wrinkles on his black toga. "You will get used to it."

She took a deep breath, calming down, willing her new empty stomach to relax. Then squared his shoulders so the King knew she meant business.

"How can this be fixed?"

With a grunt he stood up again, getting closer to his side of the mirror. "There is nothing to be fixed, he is your soul mate and you have to accept it because he needs you… and you need him too. You just have refused to see the signs."

 _What signs?_ Later, she'd think about what he'd said later, there was something she needed to clarify first.

"Why does he look like King Lucifer?"

Ray the Third laughed bitterly and shook his head, just for good measure. "That's all your doing, sweetheart. At the time the boy's face was getting molded inside his mother's womb, you were probably lusting after Lucifer. The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways."

Her jaw dropped open. "You're not serious."

"Oh, I'm so damn serious." Then, grinning like he was having the best time of his life, he finished her off. "I think it's only fair. If you're going to read the same book for the rest of your life, the least you should get is a nice cover."

The King winked then wiggled his eyebrows wickedly. Yes, she was sure now, her misfortune amused him, he wasn't worried at all. And he was handling it personally because, as he said, this was unusual.

Her blood was boiling inside her head, so she went for a cold look.

"Anything else I need to know?"

"That I give you permission to go as far as you need regarding your soul mate." She nodded. "And, Anastasia… no calls in a week."

"Why? I have so many questions."

He waved her and the call away.

"Ask José, he's old enough to know the answers."

She was left staring at her reflection, confused and scared. A headache was starting thanks to the many thoughts that were claiming her head, fighting with each other, screaming at her inability to think.

Suddenly, a voice from above shook her.

"Miss, is everything all right?"

 _Shit, the humans_.

"I'm sorry, I got dizzy. Too many floors but I'm fine now."

Still shocked, she arrived at the lobby and managed to walk toward the glass door. _Blondie-1_ waved her goodbye and resumed her reading of some erotic novel. The lust emitted by her aura was refreshing and Anastasia envied her, this creature wasn't condemned to suffer the constrains of a freaking soul mate.

 _Look at you, gurl, turning out to be a cliche_. Things in her life will be judged as having happened "before" or "after' this, for sure.

The stories that shaped this "myth" were well known along the three divine realms, and Nana liked to tell them all the time.

After the Holy Spirit sprang forth at the beginning of times, it wandered around for thousands and thousands of years, always alone. It grew tired of the loneliness that surrounded its uniqueness, then looked for a solution that seemed to be nonexistent. One day, noticing how everything had an almost identical reflection on the crystalline water of its favorite lake, even the moon, even the sun, the Holy Spirit came out with a plan. Placing itself in front of the quiet surface, remained still just staring at its unseeable reflection, then poured out half of its essence, half of its everything, filling up whatever was there in the water. And there it was, the miracle happened and two halves of the same Holiness accompany each other _ad infinitum_.

From time to time, remembering how wrong it felt to be companionless, the Holy Spirit would bless some lonely dazzling soul with a perfect partner, its other half. It was said such souls were special, too creative and innovative to be understood, visionaries who couldn't prevent their solitude.

Too full of themselves is what she thought they were. What a shame she was now half of one of those masturbating a-holes.

Anastasia had always considered this a curse, her Nana disagreed: " _They are the only ones capable of sucking your soul out of you. One spiritual, godlike experience._ "

Did Nana have a soul mate? Those dreamy eyes while explaining this were positively suspicious.

According to the myth, once the bond between them was formed it was permanent and would remain until their dying day. In that very moment, the sexual appetite in both halves would die, just the soul mate was able to turn the hunger on. The part that worried Anastasia more, explained how both halves could fade away if forced to live apart a long period of time. The possibility to reincarnate removed from their future because the pain would be too intense for their essences to survive.

 _Eternal monogamy and pain! Sounds like so much fun. A true blessing_.

Fortunately, in case one of them died the bond would weaken reducing the pain to a bearable level. Both souls would look for each other in the next life, needing their mates as if they were one lost fundamental limb. That was the force that always brought them together.

She didn't remember any force, what she did remember was one royal uncle putting her in the same room with this fuckable clone of Lucifer, apparently handmade for her by the Holy Spirit to make the bonding passable.

 _Bonding_. She now hated the word and wondered if that was what had happened moments ago, if she had actually bonded with the human. She couldn't tell, her new body was alien to her, the unfamiliar aching weakness she felt right now could just be the lack of something necessary for it to function: water, food, alcohol...

Strange waves coming from the corner of the street distracted her from her thoughts, which was very welcomed. There was a girl discussing with… nobody, she was speaking to the air in front of her. That could mean just one thing.

Anastasia hurried to stop whatever was going on between this agitated young woman and a very invisible José. Was she the student that was supposed to make the interview? Looked more like one of those girls you see advertising underwear and blue jeans in a human magazine. Her beautiful dark skin and hazel eyes were a plus this amazon didn't need.

Jealousy, what was tugging at some annoying organ inside her chest was jealousy, so the answer was... YES. Yes, she had bonded with the domineering owner of the most beautiful stormy eyes she had ever seen.

 _Where did that come from?_

 _Fuck! There goes my only hope.  
_


End file.
